Epistle
by SakuraRurouni
Summary: One day, Saegusa Yasushi sits down to write a letter. Post-series oneshot, anime-based.


**Epistle**

a Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne fanfiction

by Sakura Rurouni 

Summary:

Kaitou Jeanne is not the only one whose heists actually result in their victims getting better.

or,

One day, Saegusa Yasushi sits down to write a letter. 

* * *

_To: Miss Kusakabe Maron._

 _Dear Kusakabe-san,_

 _I hope this letter finds you well. In fact, this message may find you in two parts; one is this letter, and the other one is much larger. I did not know how big your mail box would be able to accept, so I sent it separately. I hope they arrive at the same time, but if they do not, then some parts of my letter will make more sense once it does arrive._

[Thankfully, the Orleans apartments' doorman had signed for her package and kept it in the downstairs office for her, so she had the larger one sitting by her side as she read the letter.]

 _Additionally, I hope that sending this from outside of Japan does not hopelessly separate the two. I am told the Indian post is quite reliable._

 _I feel that getting out of Japan and taking a new job doing assorted travel photography for magazines back home was the best choice for my health. And not just my physical health, but also my mental._

 _I'm sorry. I know that you're only a young woman, and you don't deserve to be bothered by the troubles of an old man. But if you will, indulge me for just a moment. I feel like I can be more honest on paper than I could be in a telephone call._

 _When my home was destroyed, I was disconsolate. I wept over the ruthlessness Kaitou Sinbad showed in lighting my house ablaze and with it, all my photos of Akiko, my daughter. But during my convalescence at my sister's home, I came to think that perhaps it was a blessing in disguise. My photos, my camera, I lost so much. But even so… it felt as if a heavy cloud over my eyes (that I had not even known was there) had been lifted from my eyes, and I could see things clearly._

 _Perhaps it is true; that when you lose everything you ever had, you finally discover what you really needed._

 _I still had the letters from Kaitou Jeanne and Kaitou Sinbad. When I showed them to the judge, they awarded me millions of yen in damages. With that money, I have been able to travel comfortably, purchase a new camera, and leave that wrecked shell of a smoking ruin that was once Saegusa Yasushi behind._

 _The magazine I am working for is doing a series on the Silk Road. In between, I am also doing some freelance work for NHK. At some point, I feel like I forgot the joy of pointing my camera at something new, at exploring new territory instead of clinging to the past. I have never had less material possessions, but I have never been happier._

 _I think that if I were to see Kaitou Sinbad now, I would thank him for helping me leave the old me behind. I would thank him for helping me move on. While part of me will always hurt a little at the loss of the original prints, the rest of me still clearly remembers Akiko's warmth in my arms, Akiko's smile, Akiko's laughter. I don't need a photo to remember my beloved daughter._

 _I also wish to express my undying gratitude for you entering my life, Kusakabe-san. If it had not been for our meeting, I think the chain of events that led to my catching the eye of Sinbad and Jeanne might have never happened. And apart from that, your true kindness and generosity towards me during one fo the worst periods of my life…. I shall be forever grateful. We did not know each other for long, but the impact you had in my life is unmistakable. I will always cherish the memories of your friendship and your willingness to accept my companionship during the time of my life in which I needed that kind of pure-heartedness the most._

 _I think that if Akiko had lived to be just a little bit older, I would hope that she would have turned out to be like you._

 _For now, I bid you farewell. Thank you for accepting the ramblings of an old man who has a new lease on life, and please accept the prints enclosed as my gifts to you._

 _And if Sinbad and Jeanne are still active in your town, and you happen to see them, please give them my best._

 _Sincerely, your friend,_

 _Saegusa Yasushi_

* * *

Long after their heists were over, Maron admitted to a small measure of lingering discomfort over Saegusa-sensei's case.

She had never brought it up to Chiaki. Honestly, he had hidden enough large things from her, like the fact that she had been working for the Devil all along, that when they sat down after recovering from the final battle and had a nice, long talk with Miyako, Finn, and Access invited to Maron's kitchen table, that minor details from individual cases had been overlooked.

But honestly, she shouldn't have overlooked it. It wasn't a missing prop sword or a child's crayon picture, but an entire house of photographs and memories that had gone up in flames just because Chiaki had refused to go easy on finding a demon that hadn't even been hiding in any of the pictures to begin with. She had even detransformed and helped Saegusa-sensei escape from the burning building herself, as she recalled, and then she'd called the cops– but she hadn't seen him after that, and had moved on to the next case.

Even so. It still made her uncomfortable, and she hadn't seen a good time to bring it up.

However...

She glanced over at Saegusa-sensei's letter, written in a spidery but consistent hand.

If he had taken the time and effort to not only mail a letter but dozens of poster-sized prints from his travels just to thank her and to share his joy at being able to finally move on from the death of his daughter…

Well, who was she to hold a grudge?

If he could forgive, she could too.

She also noted that, from what Miyako had once told her, he had been well-known for his urban photography and urban landscapes of Japan. But in these photos, there was barely a city in sight. There were paintings in what looked to be some sort of cave, there were decaying statues of Buddhas with their right palm raised in blessing, deserts and small animals, birds, camels, horses, the geometric patterns of mosques and the ruined splendor of old monasteries…

And barely a single human. Certainly no Akiko look-alikes here.

He seemed to be having fun branching out.

With a smile on her face, she pulled out a stack of card paper and a pen.

Saegusa-sensei's letter wouldn't be the only one delivered today. 

* * *

The first thing Chiaki did when he got home was kick off his shoes. The second thing would have been to say "I'm home", but just in time he remembered that Access was away and wouldn't be back until tomorrow.

So the second thing he did was turn on the lights instead, leading the way to the third thing:

Seeing a brand new poster-sized picture pinned to his wall with six distinctive pink pins.

Chiaki blinked. It was a bird nestling in a wall of some kind; not in a hole, but in a deliberate geometric cut-out in stone. He could see beautiful blue tilework off to the side. But he didn't recognize the scene.

There was also a caling card next to it, held up by another pink pin. He unpinned this one and read it. 

_Notice to Kaitou Sinbad:_

 _I am gifting the beauty of a photographer's heartfelt gratitude._

 _\- Kaitou Jeanne_

Not only was it in a clear, almost typewritten hand, it was on her official Kaitou stationery, to boot. He raised an eyebrow, but then he noticed an arrow at the bottom, indicating he should turn the paper over. He turned it over and recognized Maron's regular handwriting, the kind she used when taking notes in class. 

_Chiaki:_

 _Today I got a letter from Saegusa-sensei. You once exorcised a demon from his camera and burned down his house and all his photos of his deceased daughter._

 _He wanted to thank you for helping him move on, so he sent me a bunch of poster-sized prints of his photos from his travels in central Asia, and I'm giving one of them to you._

 _Come over tomorrow. It's the weekend, so let's do something fun together. I'll even make you gratin if you want, if you'll help me with the groceries._

 _Love, Maron_

He lifted the edge of the poster. Apparently it was a photo of a mosque in Uzbekistan. Surprising that he had decided to go so far away from home.

He remembered the old man's pleas, remembered his own stubbornness and his posturing to try to force Jeanne to back down from being a kaitou.

He also remembered being willing to sacrifice a man's home and memories of his dead daughter to accomplish that.

Chiaki had a lot to think about as he went to sleep that night. 

* * *

_Notice to Saegusa Yasushi:_

 _I have taken the beauty of your photograph, and I wish you a safe, happy journey._

 _If you ever need a favor, you know who to call on._

 _\- Kaitou Sinbad_

Next to it, on a post-it note: 

_Access, if you have time and if you can deliver a message that far away, can you deliver this for me? Thanks._

 _\- Chiaki_

Access looked up at the photo, looked at the notice from Maron, and went to find Finn– both to ask her for more information, and also to tell her that he was probably going to be busy for the next week or so. 

END

* * *

A/N: The NHK program Saegusa-sensei is working on is probably something like The New Silk Road, which aired in 2005.

I just finished watching the KKJ anime and the lack of followup to episode 9 really bothered me. So I wrote this.


End file.
